Banging My Head Against The Wall!

[Lone_Hawk]

I have had my BCD536HP for several years. I have a friend who has a friend who was supposed to help me set all of this up. Well, that never happened. So it just runs on my zip code.

But I want to configure it smarter. And I would like to control/configure it from my PC.

I have installed the latest version of Sentinel on my WIN10 PC. It won't recognize my scanner when plugged into the front USB port. So I can't do an update.
The BC-WFI software gives me an error when trying to update my WIFI dongle. How the heck can you tell which version of dongle you have?
The dongle is connected to my WIFI.
I just can't get anything to work.
I am just so frustrated and the support pages for Uniden lead to dead ends.
I have done several searches here.
Can someone point me to a step-by-step on how to set this up? My wife wants me to get some help after yesterdays frustration!!!

 

[ProScan]

Did you put the scanner in Mass Storage mode?

The Dongle connects to the rear USB port.
Go to the menu Wi-Fi Setup -> Show Wi-Fi Information to get the dongle version.

 

[K4EET]

Hi Lone_Hawk, you joined over 6 years ago and this was your first post? Wow! Well regardless...

I also use Sentinel on occasion but for my Uniden BCD536HP, I much prefer the ProScan software for programming the scanner. I would suggest that you download ProScan and try it out for 30 days (free trial - fully functional) and see if you like it.

Also, were you able to read the Wi-Fi dongle version as outline by Bob above?

Let us know where you are now... Thanks!

Dave

 

[buddrousa]

BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

BCD536HP < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

 

[K4EET]

<snip> Can someone point me to a step-by-step on how to set this up? </snip>

A great manual on programming the Uniden BCD536HP scanner is this:

Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual

Finally, with a Premium Subscription, you will be able to download the systems that you want to monitor and avoid the tedious task of manually programming them into the scanner. There are other perks too that you get with the Premium Subscription that are discussed on the linked webpage.

Dave

 

[eaf1956]

Had the scanner for several years? And just now asking for help, this guy is patient.

 

[KK4JUG]

K4EET has the right idea. It's a great source.

Regarding banging one's head against the wall, I ran out of Band-Aids and drywall many years ago. I bought some elbow grease and found that that worked. My elbow grease came in the form of coffee. Others use Budweiser and/or Jack Daniels or the equivalent in moderation but it works.

 

[K4EET]

Had the scanner for several years? And just now asking for help, this guy is patient.

Yes, they have lots of patience. One reason that the Uniden BCD536HP scanner probably was not thrown out of a second story window on to the street below for a truck to subsequently run over could be the scanner's decent ability to scan local entities just based on the Zip Code alone. LOL! Hopefully, with a little guidance, they will be able to "configure it smarter" and "control/configure [the scanner] from [their] PC."

 

[eaf1956]

Yes, they have lots of patience. One reason that the Uniden BCD536HP scanner probably was not thrown out of a second story window on to the street below for a truck to subsequently run over could be the scanner's decent ability to scan local entities just based on the Zip Code alone. LOL! Hopefully, with a little guidance, they will be able to "configure it smarter" and "control/configure [the scanner] from [their] PC."

I decided long ago that if after a month I couldn't program a radio it was out the door. But, I do bang my head for a week or two till I get things the way I like.

 

[Lone_Hawk]

Did you put the scanner in Mass Storage mode?

The Dongle connects to the rear USB port.
Go to the menu Wi-Fi Setup -> Show Wi-Fi Information to get the dongle version.

I didn't realize that was the dongle version. it is 7.28

 

[Lone_Hawk]

Yes, they have lots of patience. One reason that the Uniden BCD536HP scanner probably was not thrown out of a second story window on to the street below for a truck to subsequently run over could be the scanner's decent ability to scan local entities just based on the Zip Code alone. LOL! Hopefully, with a little guidance, they will be able to "configure it smarter" and "control/configure [the scanner] from [their] PC."

Yeah, I am a patient man for the most part. With my disc-cone I get pretty much everything from Raleigh/Durham to Fayetteville.. I spent 22 years at Ft. Meade.

 

[Lone_Hawk]

Thank you all, I will follow the wiki and other links and when I have more questions, I will be back.

I used radio reference before I had a scanner. In 2015 I bought a Uniden scanner not realizing that North Carolina had gone digital. So I bought this one. Just using the native settings I got pretty much everything but unfortunately my small town runs encrypted all the time. You know how it is, I'll figure this out next weekend...